


you're more than enough

by dinofcker



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Depressed Yamaguchi Tadashi, Developing Friendships, Family Secrets, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mentions of Cancer, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Team Bonding, Yamaguchi Tadashi-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25157734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinofcker/pseuds/dinofcker
Summary: Yamaguchi is left alone with the second and thirds while his first year fellows are at camp. Chaos ensue as Yamaguchi realizes, he's not as alone as he thinks he is.
Relationships: Yamaguchi Tadashi & Karasuno Volleyball Club
Comments: 9
Kudos: 231





	1. are you smarter than a 5th grader?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wingdings  
> ex: ⍓︎♋︎❍︎♋︎♑︎◆︎♍︎♒︎♓︎ ♓︎⬧︎ ♋︎ ●︎♓︎⧫︎⧫︎●︎♏︎ ⬧︎♒︎♓︎⧫︎📬︎

Under normal circumstances, he’d understand if the first year was acting out with Hinata. But he never thought this angel freckled teenager would be the most troublesome aside from Tanaka and Noya. He sighed as he saw the three of them run from one side of the court to the other, jumping over the cart of volleyballs. He was impressed they were able to jump over with ease, but it could also be the help of a big running start. 

Ennoshita sighed. He didn’t know if he could handle this in the future when he became captain. It was already tiring to keep Tanaka and Noya in reins, but he also had to keep Hinata and Kageyama from killing each other, and Yamaguchi from hurting himself from doing “parkour”.

“500 yen Noya will be the one to tip it over and cause a mess.”

“1000 yen Tanaka will.”

Ennoshita looked to Narita and Kinoshita in shock. He couldn’t believe the two most innocent second years were betting against his friends. 

“I’ll buy you both meat buns Yamaguchi will be the one to tip it over.” Narita and Kinoshita looked over to Suga. He had a motherly smile and a Daichi next to him, grinding his teeth in annoyance.

“Suga! Don’t enable anything.” Daichi scolded and looked over to the troublesome trio. “Oi! Stop that before someone gets hurt!”

The three looked up from their running start positions. One heel touched the wall while the other foot was holding the weight of their bodies. It looked silly but apparently it helped. Ennoshita rolled his eyes.

“Tanaka! Noya! I expected the better from you. Don’t encourage Yamaguchi.” Ennoshita yelled from across the gym. Tanaka and Noya both laughed as Yamaguchi blew a raspberry. He could feel a vein on his forehead from annoyance. 

“I never expected Yamaguchi to be this troublesome.” Suga chuckled.

“I don’t blame him.” Narita shook his head. Everyone paused to look at him. “All of the other first years are at training camps, although Hinata snuck off, but we never really get to see Yamaguchi by himself. He’s usually with someone. Maybe this is really him when he’s alone.” Kinoshita glanced at Yamaguchi being the last one to jump over the cart. Once Yamaguchi landed with ease, the three cheered and ran back to the wall.

“I get what you mean. This could just be Yamaguchi’s way of having fun since he’s by himself. Maybe this is who he is in private and we’re just seeing that.” Kinoshita agreed, nodding his head.

Before Daichi could ask what they meant, they heard a yelp followed by balls rolling and bouncing out. They turned their heads to Asahi panicking and asking if they were okay. Noya was on the floor cackling and Yamaguchi clutching his stomach as laughter spilled out of his mouth. Tanaka laid on the floor with a leg inside the cart still. He fell flat on his face. It wasn’t as gracious as he thought it was in his mind. 

“I told you guys!” Daichi bellowed and made the three freeze under his intimidating gaze. Suga let out a light laugh as Daichi stomped towards them to give them a fern “talk”. 

“It’s quite a shock seeing Yamaguchi be this troublesome, but you have to admit, it’s kind of refreshing.” Suga breathed out, smiling fondly at Yamaguchi trying to keep himself from snickering as Tanaka and Noya were getting ripped apart. 

“He does look a lot better. I kind of thought he’d be sad being lonely.” Asahi joined them, overhearing their talk but not having anything to say until they made a few good points.

“I don’t think he’d be sad, proud more likely. I think this is how he is when he doesn’t have other people constantly being in the spotlight.” Ennoshita knew Yamaguchi to always be quiet, but he knew there was more than meets the eye. He knew deep inside, Yamaguchi is another teenager with feelings. Little did he know, he was a rebel at heart.

“Okay! Let’s clean up!”

“Okay!”

Suga helped Tanaka put all the balls back in the cart while Yamaguchi and Noya were mopping the floor. Asahi almost smacked the cart with the pole while taking it down. Tanaka’s face grew paler and left out a big breath once clean up came to an end. He can hear Ennoshita’s light footsteps from behind him.

“How bad was it?” Tanaka turned around.

“Ahaha… Daichi really went in hard.” Ennoshita snorted.

“How did Yamaguchi join you guys in the first place?” 

Tanaka and Ennoshita were walking side by side. He peeked at the clouds moving towards the mountains. He couldn't help the fond smile that overtook his mouth. 

"He seemed sad. Not the lonely kind of sad. He has a lot on his shoulders. He keeps his problems inside. Not even Tsukishima knows. He's stronger than we think."

Ennoshita joined Tanaka in looking up. The sky was pinkish mixed with hues of orange and purple. 

"Do you know something we don't Tanaka?" 

"It's not my place to say." Tanaka shook his head. As they reached the stairs, he gently put a hand on Ennoshita's shoulder. "Before we go in, I need to tell you something."

Ennoshita's eyebrows furrowed. He had deep concern etched over his face. 

"What is it?" This is it. This is the secret Yamaguchi is hiding, isn't it?

"You're gonna have your hands full next year cause Yamaguchi is a little shit when he's by himself." Ennoshita felt the vein on his forehead come back. 

"Tanaka! I was scared! Oh my god!" He shook off Tanaka's hand and stomped up the stairs, leaving Tanaka and his obnoxious laughter behind.

* * *

As school went by, Yamaguchi realized how bad he wished Tsukishima was here. He was bombarded after school by girls asking if Tsukishima was single, what his favorite food was, what type of girls he liked, etc. Wait girls? Pffft. Okay. Sure. Yamaguchi snickered as he walked towards the club room. He touches his lips, lightly. His fingertips brushing against his bottom lip. He blushes as he remembers Tsukishima’s soft strawberry chapstick flavored lips. He shook his head. He’s not going to think about it any further. It’s embarrassing for him. Tsukishima didn’t care for PDA. It’s surprisingly Yamaguchi that gets embarrassed easily.

“Hey Yamaguchi! You ready for today?” Kinoshita waved as Yamaguchi stepped into the gym. 

“Definitely.” He was born ready. He knew exactly what he had to do.

Warm ups were easy. Yamaguchi made sure to stretch out fully. He knew he was gonna have to sprint if he wanted to stay alive.

“What planet size is approximately the same size as a Minecraft world?” Yamaguchi asked while stretching his arms over his head. Tanaka thought hard.

“New York!” Noya raised both hands towards the air. 

All eyes shifted onto him.

“Noya… New York is not a planet.” Asahi scratched his cheek. Kinoshita bursted into laughter.

“Is it Venus?” Narita quipped. 

“It’s Neptune.” Yamaguchi giggled out.

“Neptune? What? Frick Neptune, nobody asked.” Narita stuck his tongue at Yamaguchi.

“Nobody’s even been there.” Kinoshita joined in. The three of them were still laughing while Ennoshita pinched the bridge of his nose. It was going to be a long day.

（；¬＿¬)

“Hey Kinoshita!” Yamaguchi called out from the other side of the net.

“What is it?”

“On the Tesla P-100 D, what mode allows the vehicle to go from 0 - 60 in 2.3 seconds?” Kinoshita paused his serve. He let the ball fall from his hands as everyone stared at Yamaguchi in confusion.

“Race mode?” 

Yamaguchi couldn’t help but snort into his hand.

“Kinoshita really?” Narita slapped his knee and laughed.

“Why are you laughing like a grandpa?” Noya pointed out. “It’s Fast and the Furious, duh!”

Suga turned his head looking back and forth. “What on Earth are you talking about? That’s a movie!” He couldn’t believe his ears.

Yamaguchi was still laughing, tears in his eyes. “It’s called Ludacris mode.”

Kinoshita shook his head. “No it's not!” 

Yamaguchi nodded, “It’s true.”

Narita hooted.

“The rapper?” Ennoshita smacked the back of Tanaka’s head.

“Ow! Ennoshita, it was a serious question.”

“He’s talking about a car dummy!”

“He said Ludacris!”

Suga released a deep sigh. Daichi was starting to get annoyed. Very annoyed.

“Oi! Back to practice!” 

“Okay!”

（；¬＿¬)

“Daichi? Can I ask you a question?” Yamaguchi started toeing the gym floor as everyone was cleaning up. Daichi’s eyes softened. He can see the younger one’s shoulder shag a bit while his hands were behind his back. _He must be nervous._

“Of course.”

“What is the threshold around a black-hole where the escape velocity surpasses the speed of light?” Daichi was peeved. He was peeved and betrayed.

“I know this one!” Narita raised his hand. “Barry Allen!”

“Who the hell is Barry Allen?” Kinoshita muttered.

“The Flash!” Noya slid across to be next to Daichi.

"What?" Suga couldn't stop himself from barking out a laugh.

“No you idiots, it’s Event Horizon!” Ennoshita threw his hands in frustration. The looks he received were even more confused. 

Yamaguchi kept snickering while Daichi wore an irked expression.

“God, next thing you’ll tell me is that a pumpkin is a vegetable.”

Everyone stopped laughing.

“Is it not?” Noya finalled asked. Asahi was on the brink of fainting.

“Noya! Vegetables don’t have seeds!” Asahi exclaimed. His soul left his body. _Dear God, it’s me Asahi. I’m coming up._

“But cucumbers have them?” Tanaka tapped his chin and tilted his head.

“They’re fruit!” Ennoshita flailed his hands. “Are you serious?”

“How did you guys even graduate elementary school?!” Daichi yelled. Yamaguchi’s laugh got harder as people were getting more confused. A mixture of misinformed knowledge of fruit and vegetables and the flash creating a black hole caused quite an uproar. Oh how he loves to create chaos.

（；¬＿¬)

"Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" Yamaguchi waited in line to spike. The other second years glanced back at him while Daichi sighed. 

“No, don’t do this ag-” Daichi didn’t get to finish.

"Yeah!" Tanaka raised a thumb to himself. "Go on, test me!" 

"What was the Ancient Egyptian writing system called?" Suga raised an eyebrow. What kind of quest-

"Wingdings!" 

… 

"Why is he so STUPID?!" Ennoshita held his head between his heads, groaning out in frustration. 

Tanaka looked over in shock and sputtered, "What?". 

"Is that your final answer?" Yamaguchi asked between what sounded like snorts and giggles. Narita was clutching his stomach, on the floor trying to stifle his laughter. 

"Tanaka, I will never forgive you for this. I swear I will walk out of this building if you answer that." Daichi shook his head, absolutely fuming with embarrassment. This was his team for crying out loud. 

Noya turned to Asahi and Suga, "What is it?". 

"Hieroglyphics." Yamaguchi answered for them. Tanaka scratched the side of his head. 

"It wasn't wingdings?" Asahi did a double take to Nishinoya. 

"Noya!" 

Suga lost it again. 

“Okay, how about this one: What do plants breathe in that humans breathe out?” Yamaguchi managed to ask the question without stuttering.

“Photosynthesis.” Nishinoya pounded his chest with a fist. 

“He says it so confidently!” Kinoshita lifted a hand to his forehead as his laugh spilled out between his lips. Narita’s stomach would be hella toned by now if laughing was a real exercise. 

“No! Noya! Tanaka! Why?” Suga fell to his knees and slammed his fists on the floor. Daichi was yelling in the background trying to calm everyone down.

This was just absolute chaos. 

Yamaguchi was hardly able to get out Tanaka's grasp as he sprinted out of the gym. He was still alive. 

He will return. 

He will cause… more chaos. 


	2. uno and feelings

If you thought Yamaguchi was a kind and beautiful soul, well you’re half right. He is all sorts of amazing and wonderful, but don’t think for a second he doesn’t have a snarky gremlin side. He can be a little punk. Tsukishima wasn’t the only salty fry out of the bunch. Oh no, Yamaguchi was a salty sweet potato fry. Salty on the outside, sweet on the inside. 

“Tsukki, you missed out. It was really funny.”

“What’d you do now, dork?”

“I kept asking people a lot of hard questions from a video I saw on Youtube and they all lost their minds.”

“Tadashi, don’t cause chaos without me.”

“But it was really funny! Tanaka chased me out of the gym.”

“Tanaka?”

“Yes!”

“Ahaha… How you doing?”

“It’s lonely.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I know it’s important to be there. I just wish we could spend more time.”

“I’m happy you’re getting friendlier with the others.”

“How’s Hinata?”

“Ugh, can we not talk about the shrimp on our video call date?”

Yamaguchi giggled as he saw Tsukishima roll his eyes dramatically. 

“Okay.”

They usually video called whenever they didn’t get to see each other often, though they were tied to the hip, it was quite rare. Tsukishima was on his way home when he texted Yamaguchi to be available around 7 PM. Sure they saw each other at school but he had to leave earlier to travel to another school. Unlucky for him, he had to go under intense hugs and was attacked by kisses on cheeks before his boyfriend left to take the bus. 

His cheeks flushed and turned away from the camera a second too late.

“Tadashi?”

“Nothing!” Yamaguchi says too quickly, embarrassed at himself.  _ Don’t think about kissing. _

“Can I kiss you?”

_ Damn it! _

Yamaguchi groaned and let his head fall onto his desk. “You’re so embarrassing.”

Tsukishima chuckled and smiled fondly. “I love you.”

Yamaguchi peeked up, getting a glimpse of Tsukishima’s eyes full of adoration. “I love you too.”

Homework was never an issue, besides English. Yamaguchi didn’t do well with it. He confused a lot of the words but he got by with studying. The video calls consisted them doing their own thing, sometimes they do homework together or most times just watch dumb things, procrastinating as much as possible until it was 1 am. Tsukishima knew Yamaguchi had insomnia, but he tried to stay up as late with his boyfriend, although more than once he nodded off and slept with the camera on. Yamaguchi didn’t mind. He liked looking at his boyfriend’s peaceful face. He liked seeing his body move up and down, he looked so calm in his sleep.

Yamaguchi set aside his papers and dreamily looked at Tsukishima, lightly breathing, head on his arms and taking a small nap. Normally, when this happens, he’d just do chores and clean up a bit. But he did all that already. He took his phone out, camera pointing to the laptop and posing before taking a picture. He never shared these kinds of photos, he sometimes prints them out and tapes them on the wall. The paint on the walls chipped, stains on ceilings and furniture broken down. His home wasn’t the best. Tsukishima didn’t visit unless Yamaguchi’s dad wasn’t around. More often did his father walk into the home angry, throwing glass bottles around. Yamaguchi locked the door and sometimes snuck Tsukishima in through the window. 

He sniffled. He felt the corners of his eyes tingling. A shiver ran through his face, he knew he was going to cry. Who wouldn’t? He tried to make his eyes suck it back in, but that’s practically impossible. He’s gone far down the road of doubts and fears. His heart dropped as the first tear fell. He grabbed a tissue and blew his nose before things got messier. He took out his earphones and pushed his chair back as quietly as possible. He ran his hands through his hair. His vision blurred more when the tears became heavier. He didn’t like crying. He hated it. He didn’t like how terrible it felt afterwards. 

“Tadashi?” Tsukishima’s voice was hoarse. “What’s wrong?”

Yamaguchi rubbed his eyes. “Nothing.”

“Talk to me. I’m here, Tadashi.” 

“Okay.” Yamaguchi scooted closer and sniffed as he talked about his day. Tsukishima would always listen. No matter how awful and messy he looked, no matter what time it was, he was always there. 

* * *

Tanaka guarded his cards. He eyed Yamaguchi and Kinoshita. Those two had a smug look. He didn’t trust them one bit.

“Yellow.” Narita called as he placed a 4 colored card on the deck.

“Dang it!” Suga complained as he reached to pick up a new card.

“Ha! Plus two.” Kinoshita followed. Yamaguchi smirked as he put down another plus two. Tanaka was fuming.

“Are you serious?!” Daichi bursted into laughter as Tanaka reached to pick up four cards. “You do this every time!”

“Maybe you should learn to be a better player, Tanaka-san.” Yamaguchi, this saucy little devil, sure knew how to get under everyone’s skin.

Tanaka growled as Nishinoya reversed. Tanaka still had no reds. 

“You really have nothing…” Asahi looked over his shoulder.

“Ahhh!” Tanaka was close to throwing his cards in the air. He’s being bullied by his close friends and the first year he thought was sweet and pure. 

Yamaguchi giggled as he called out, “Uno!”

“You have one card left? Already?” Noya was shocked. He was too busy trying to screw the next person he didn’t realize Yamaguchi was closest to winning first place.

“Yup!”

Tanaka took his opportunity. 

“Reverse!”

Yamaguchi placed down his last card. It was a red 6.

“Are you kidding me?!”

“Tanaka!”

“How was I supposed to know?”

“God dang it!”

“Ahahahah.”

Daichi was busy observing Yamaguchi’s facial expressions. The glow when he smiled was dimmed down. It didn’t seem alarming, just a bit off. Unusual. He felt a pair of eyes and turned his head slightly to see Suga tilting his head. He looked troubled. Daichi nodded his head, acknowledging the other. They knew what they had to do. He took a look at his watch:  **6:28 pm** . 

“Alright, let’s clean up! It’s getting late.” Daichi clapped his hands and started packing his stuff. Everyone grumbled and complained but complied nonetheless. Noya was able to screw over Narita and landed himself in second place, Ennoshita following third. Narita and Tanaka were in a heated battle but had to pause. Suga had 22 cards. The poor soul… 

“I’ll kick your ass another time pipsqueak!”

“We’re the same age baldy!”

“HEY!”

Suga went to Yamaguchi whispering in his ear that he wanted to talk to him. Yamaguchi shrugged and sent a quick text to his boyfriend that their video call date was going to be later than usual. Yamaguchi would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. His anxiety skyrocketed whenever the words  _ We need to talk _ , passed by his cold sensitive ears. It made his ears prickle and shivers rushed down his neck. Tsukishima vowed he’d never leave Yamaguchi, going as far to give him a promise ring. He couldn’t wear it to school, but he did have it with him whenever he went out. He loved it. He loved the raw cut ruby, shining it’s beautiful reflection whenever the light hit it. He loved it so much he’d sleep with it, until Tsukishima told him to stop or he’ll choke in his sleep.

Ah, Yamaguchi digressed. He can think about this particular another time. He heard shuffling behind him and faced the two figures.

“Yamaguchi.”

“Suga.”

“We’re concerned for you.”

“I’m sorry?” His eyes widened. Did he do something wrong? Did he say something weird? Was he being annoying?

“Don’t be. We just wanted to know if you’re alright.” Daichi waved a hand, dismissing all negative thoughts from Yamaguchi’s busy mind.

“Oh. I’m not sure.” Yamaguchi looked down. The mat sure looks nice enough to be swallowed by. 

“Yamaguchi?” He looked up to meet Suga’s eyes. Worry was etched all over it. “We know you’re strong and brave, but even the bravest crumble. We just want you to know that whatever you’re going through, we’re all here for you.” 

Yamaguchi’s hands were fidgeting, pulling, tugging, and restless. 

“I… I have some problems, but it’s not a big deal. I pr-”

“Don’t lie to us, Yamaguchi.” Daichi’s tone was firm yet comforting. He remained calm at all times. He had to, for himself and his team.

Yamaguchi held up his hands and surrendered. The sigh that left his lips was loud and heavy. He didn’t realize how long he was holding in his breath the entire time. 

_ Don’t forget to breathe. _

He shut his eyes before opening them, allowing them to adjust to the light. He was tired. He didn’t feel like crying today. He just wants to go home and talk to Tsukishima. Talk about minecraft or even Lego Ninjago. Anything but  _ this _ .

“When I was 8, my mom passed away from Leukemia. We were in debt. Bills were stacking and everyone we knew as family left us. My dad and I don’t get along well. I won’t go into detail. But there are times where I don’t want to go home. There are days I lock myself in the room and sometimes Tsukki has to sneak in from a freaking window. A window! I hate it there. I hate everything. But Tsukki saved me from thinking that it was just me against the world. So yeah, I have a lot of baggage. Tsukki not being here does hurt. It does feel lonely. Hinata is a good friend. He helps distract me a lot. Nobody else knows about my situation or past, but they still care about me regardless.”

Suga stepped forward, taking Yamaguchi’s hands and rubbing soothing circles with his thumb.

“Yamaguchi, we’re all here for you. You don’t have to open up and tell us about your life story. You don’t have to tell everyone you meet. But you do have to tell us how you feel. You’re not alone. You don't have to be in pain by yourself. Let us help you. The least we can do is be a caring senpai.”

“Suga’s right. We’re a murder of crows. We stick together.” Daichi put a hand to his shoulder. He smiled.

“I’m sorry. I can’t keep going.” Yamaguchi’s knees buckled and immediately, Suga helped him to sit on the floor as gently as possible.

“It’s alright. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” Yamaguchi nodded. He breathed. He listened to Suga’s reassuring words. Daichi knelt down to whisper gently.

“We’re all your friends Yamaguchi.” The tears he held back finally loosened. It wasn’t gross this time. It was light. Happy almost. 

_ Are these tears of comfort and joy? _

They were.

He didn’t feel the need to hold back as much.

“I told you, dork!”

“I’m sorry for not realizing sooner.”

The call ended around 2 am that night. He was able to smile as he slept while his father was drinking his sorrows away.


	3. more than enough

Yamaguchi smirked as he looked down to Tanaka and Noya. They looked offended as Yamaguchi taunted them with two pairs of earphones and a black pair of gaming headphones. 

"What's going here?" Daichi demanded, Suga and Asahi followed suit. 

Yamaguchi passed the earphones to Noya and Tanaka as he wrapped the headphones around his neck. Ennoshita sighed as he took out his own. 

"We're playing the whisper challenge." Yamaguchi looked toward the third years. "Wanna join?" 

Daichi shook his head. Narita and Kinoshita scribbled onto loose ripped pieces of paper, snickering as they wrote. 

"Can we still watch?" Suga set his stuff down as he joined them. 

"Suga! Don't encourage them!" Suga shrugged as Yamaguchi made space next to him.

"Narita, you ready?" Ennoshita called over his shoulder. 

"Let's go!" 

Yamaguchi took one paper and opened. Suga looked over and snickered. Tanaka, Noya, and Ennoshita had their music on while Yamaguchi turned to Tanaka. 

"Ennoshita is my favorite second year." Yamaguchi smiled devilishly. 

"What the-" Narita sputtered. He had definitely written something else but okay, that works even better. Kinoshita dramatically fainted and Asahi was there to ‘catch’ him.

"Uhhh." Tanaka looked dumbfounded but shrugged and turned to Noya. 

"D-I-N-O-S-A-U-R A DINOSAUR." Noya sang out. Tanaka smacked his shoulder. 

"Ow Ryuu!" Noya rubbed his shoulder. "What?" 

Tanaka took two fingers and pointed at his own eyes. 

_Watch me._

"Ohh. Okay. Lay it on me!" Noya nodded and eagerly looked at Tanaka's mouth. 

"I know ya like big butts and I cannot lie."

Yamaguchi and Suga snickered, hiding their faces from them. 

"OKAY!" Tanaka slapped Noya's other shoulder and put a finger to his lips. 

_No yelling!_

Noya turned to Ennoshita. Ennoshita realized it was his turn and looked at the other. 

"I don't think big butts like yours are allowed." 

Ennoshita raised an eyebrow. 

"What did you say?" He was so very confused. 

Asahi and Daichi laughed along with the others as Ennoshita kept trying to read Noya's mouth. 

Once he figured it out, he took off his earphones and said, "I have diarrhea and it's worse than Hinata's." 

The room bursted into laughter, much harder than before. 

"Not even close!" Yamaguchi wiped his eyes. "It was 'Ennoshita is my favorite second year'."

Ennoshita paled and smacked Noya's arm. 

"Why me?!" 

"Pronunciate your words better!" 

"I said 'I don't think big butts like yours are allowed'!" Ennoshita turned red. 

"What?!" 

Tanaka put a hand to Noya's shoulder. "The only thing you got right was big butts, Noya!" Noya high fived Tanaka. 

"Honestly, you guys are embarrassing." Ennoshita grumbled and looked towards Yamaguchi. 

"I'm your favorite second year?"

Yamaguchi smiled innocently. 

"Yup!" 

"What the hell?"

"Hey I fell in a cart of volleyballs for you!" Tanaka and Noya threw out complaints.

"I actually wrote Tanaka is the worst second year." Narita snorted out.

"Narita! You ass!" Tanaka fumed.

Kinoshita held onto Narita's arm as he laughed.

"Alright, alright. Next up is Ennoshita." Suga nodded towards him. Ennoshita was handed a small piece of paper. He smiled. _This one should be super easy._

"Happy Birthday to you." Yamaguchi smiled and nodded before tapping Tanaka. 

"How do you think you do?" Tanaka scrunched an eyebrow and shrugged. He turned to Noya. 

"Let the games begin!" Noya sang out as he waved his hands in the air. Tanaka put his hands on Noya's shoulder and shook him. 

"Okay okay, I'm looking!" Noya surrendered. 

"How do you feel when you poop?" Kinoshita snickered as Noya nodded confidently. He turned to Ennoshita and took his earphones out. 

"How many stinks is your poo?" 

Narita and Kinoshita crumbled to the floor clutching each other's arms. Suga fell on his back laughing as Tanaka looked at Noya horrified. 

"I said 'Happy birthday to you'!" Ennoshita smacked his head. 

"Alright. I got one." Daichi stepped forward and looked at Tanaka. He waited till everyone was ready. 

Once Tanaka nodded and gave him the go, he went. 

"I heard you failed your math quizzes." Daichi smirked. 

Asahi shook his head, chuckling as Tanaka's face shifted. 

Tanaka paled and slowly turned to Noya. Noya was ready this time. 

"I heard you failed your math quizzes." Noya's face was frozen. They looked at each other for a few moments before looking back at Daichi. He had his arms crossed, waiting. 

The two looked back at each other and scrambled to their feet. 

"Not on my watch! Kinoshita! Narita!" 

"On it!" The two managed to hold the others by their collar. Yamaguchi and Ennoshita paused their music

"Is something wrong?" 

"Don't worry about it, Yamaguchi." Suga patted his back before announcing it was time to head into the gym. 

Gym consisted of Kinoshita and Narita talking to Yamaguchi, creating a wall from Noya and Tanaka strangling the first year. 

“He’s an innocent, sweet, and pretty jewel. What are you talking about?” Ennoshita would say everytime Tanaka grumbled about wanting to put Yamaguchi so far down, not even Tsukishima would find him. 

“Say, why do you want to bug them so much?” Kinoshita asked Yamaguchi while practicing serving with him. The two seemed to have more in common. 

“I’m not really sure. I guess it's because I grew up as a single child. So in a way, you guys are like my older siblings I never had.” Kinoshita felt his heart pang. He glanced at Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi looked at the volleyball in his hands, letting it spin. His heart always had a hole in it. He knew that one day, he’d have to put his feelings on his sleeve and show the world just how broken he was. He knew that one day, people would be creeped out by how much he wanted an older sibling figure. He knew that people would never want to be like family to him. Why would they? They had their own family. He only had himself.

“Oh! That got me in the feels.” Kinoshita clutched his chest and his heart burst. “C’mere you!” He pulled Yamaguchi into a hug. Narita turned around in confusion from the sudden outburst and smiled.

“What’s going on here?”

“Yamaguchi sees us as older brothers.”

“Oh you big doof, c’mere!” Narita joined in. Yamaguchi felt tears tease his bottom eyelid.

“Guys. Really. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Nonsense. We care about you know. You’re the tall, snarky, but awesome little brother we always wanted.” Narita argued back and hugged tighter. Yamaguchi’s heart felt a bit warmer. He thought back on the talk he had with Daichi and Suga. _So this is what they meant._

“In that case, please take care of me!” 

“Of course!”

“Leave it to us!” 

Suga and Daichi weren’t far from the conversation.

“Looks like our little crow is finally letting his wings spread.” Suga bumped Daichi’s shoulder.

“I thought he was already doing that?” 

“He was in volleyball, but this time, he’s growing as a person.”

“And he’ll keep growing from now on.”

  
  


Asahi was the last person to change in the clubroom after consulting Takeda about some extra practice he wanted to get in with Noya. Noya’s serves have improved dramatically, but they were still nowhere near perfect. He didn’t intend them to be. He just wanted Noya to feel confident in tossing. Noya was always loud and rambunctious, but he was still a kind hearted soul inside. He was admirable for that, though the third year would never say it aloud. He was too intimidated to say anything, also afraid to feed his ego. 

He walked into Yamaguchi quickly pocketing what seemed like a chain into his pocket.

“Oh! Hey Yamaguchi!” 

“Azumane-san!”

“Asahi is fine.”

“Ah-Asahi.”

“Hm?”

“Do you… nevermind.” Yamaguchi shook his head and picked up his bag. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Wait!” Asahi didn’t mean to be loud. He flinched at his own voice. Yamaguchi didn’t seem to mind. He looked back curiously. 

“Is something the matter?” Yamaguchi tightened his grip on his bag.

“Well, I was just… wondering if you were doing okay?” Asahi wanted to slap himself. It was supposed to be a question for Yamaguchi but it came out as if he was questioning the question itself.

“Uh…” Yamaguchi scratched his jaw before continuing, “I guess? I am now, but before I did have some… stuff” He finished off clearing his throat.

“That’s good.” Asahi didn’t have anything else left to say. Times like these he wished Suga was here to kick him. _Negativity, be gone!_

“Is that all?”

“Hmm… No.” He mentally grounded himself. “Actually, I know from what I can see, you seem to be holding some stuff in. I’m not the best at being confident since I have doubts myself, but you're stronger than you think.” He shrugged. He didn’t know where he was going but he was still going to try. “I don’t think I’m the best example of being a good senpai, but I’m still here to lend an ear. I’m here to just be by your side if you need someone.” 

“Asahi!” He jumped.

“You’re more than the best! You came back to being an ace and overcame your doubts. You have really strong spikes, you broke through people’s blocks, and you’re improving a lot. You have moments where you’re confident and come back from your anxiety. You’re more than enough.”

Asahi felt a twinge of happiness in his body. He stepped forward to put a hand to Yamaguchi’s shoulder.

“You’re more than enough too.” He left Yamaguchi in shock. 

“Wow, never knew you had it in you Asahi.” Suga laughed out.

“Suga!” Asahi jumped.

“That was nice of you, Asahi.” Daichi patted Asahi on the back. “Let’s get going.” 

Yamaguchi locked the door on his way out. Asahi’s words were echoing in his head. _You’re more than enough too._ He smiled. 

“I’m more than enough.”

  
  


“Hey Tsukki?”

“What is it?”

“I think everyone cares about me.”

“Well duh!”

“What do you mean?”

“Tadashi, have you seen yourself? You’re the sweetest person they know. You do so much for everyone. You volunteered to help Kageyama, the king of the court, with his nosebleed. You managed to push him off the court. He would have bit our heads off if Hinata or I did it.”

“He wouldn’t have done it towards the second years.”

“He also doesn’t know them that well either.”

“I guess.”

“Tadashi.”

“Kei.”

“I know it’s hard, but love yourself. Appreciate yourself from time to time. We’re all grateful for you when we can depend on you, so for once, depend on us. Okay?”

Yamaguchi didn’t bother holding back his tears. He felt drop after drop cool down his already flushed face. He didn’t reach over to wipe them off. He sat still shocked written all over him. He counted back on all the moments and words that were said to him. He recalled every moment his older friends. 

_I’m more than enough._

He smiled and rubbed his eyes.

“Stop being so mushy!”

“Haha."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy birthday valentina.


End file.
